America has a problem with 'inflexible' Republicans, spendthrift Democrats

“As Republican leaders openly scrutinize their party after a 2012 election that was disappointing for them, rank-and-file Republicans, independents and Democrats voice the same primary criticism of the GOP: it is ‘too inflexible’ or ‘unwilling to compromise,’” says Gallup analyst Lydia Saad, who reports in a survey that 26 percent of Republicans themselves plus 22 percent of Democrats agree with this.

Some voters might consider this steely trait to be a plus, but no matter.

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There’s stuff Americans like about the Grand Old Party as well. The most common Republican attributes Americans cite are “better fiscal management,” conservative views and smaller government, the survey found. Naturally, 6 out of 10 Democrats revealed there was nothing they liked about the GOP.

But on to the Democrats: The most-oft-cited criticism is that they “spend too much,” according to 14 percent of Americans, not to mention 23 percent of Republicans and 10 percent of Democrats themselves. The party also was flagged for being inflexible, “not accountable” and guilty of “poor leadership.” Democrats won the most praise for “caring about the middle class,” social programs and inclusiveness.

Republican disgust with Democrats was equal to Democratic disgust with Republicans, meanwhile. Six out of 10 GOPers also reported there was nothing they liked about the Democratic Party either.

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